Hope Solo Will Not Attend Women's National Team Camp as She Continues on Dancing With the Stars

NewsNov 9, 2011

CHICAGO (Nov. 9, 2011) â€“ Hope Solo will not attend the U.S. Womenâ€™s National Team camp prior to the match against Sweden due to her participation on ABCâ€™s Dancing With the Stars. Val Henderson, Philadelphia Independence and former U.S. Under-23 goalkeeper, will replace Solo in Phoenix, Ariz.

The popular goalkeeper, along with professional dancing partner Maksim Chmerkovskiy, is now among the final four competitors. Solo was asked to compete in the 13th season of Dancing With the Stars following the 2011 FIFA Womenâ€™s World Cup, where the U.S. reached the final but lost in a penalty shootout to Japan.

Solo will return to training with the USA for the team's extended camp in December as the squad gets ready for the Olympic Qualifying Tournament in Vancouver, B.C. in January.

Henderson played very well last season in place of Womenâ€™s World Cup Team goalkeeper Nicole Barnhart while she was in Germany, starting nine games and allowing just 0.89 goals per game. Henderson was the USAâ€™s starting goalkeeper at the 2006 FIFA U-20 Womenâ€™s World Cup in Russia.

More than 12,000 tickets have already been sold for the match, which will be held at the University of Phoenix Stadium in Glendale, Ariz. The game will set a record for the largest attendance at a Womenâ€™s National Team contest in Arizona.